EU: Subsidised Food Exports

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any estimates of the number of people in the developing world who may be dying annually as a result of food subsidised by the European Union's common agricultural policy being released on their local markets; and, if so, whether they agree with those estimates.

Baroness Amos: The Government are not currently undertaking any analysis of potential impacts on mortality rates of subsidised European Union food exports to developing countries, nor are we aware of other research on this issue. The Government do, however recognise the damaging economic impact that trade-distorting subsidies in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have on developing countries and we are committed to securing reductions in these subsidies, through reform of the common agricultural policy and the World Trade Organisation talks.
	The common agricultural policy reform package agreed by EU Agriculture Ministers on 26 June last year marks a significant shift in the EU's agricultural policy. The decoupling of subsidies from production should increase the market orientation of European farmers, leading to reductions in production and disposal of subsidised surpluses abroad.
	The Government also fully support the commitment made at the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in 2001 "to reduce, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies, and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support". These commitments have been further progressed in the World Trade Organisation through the Framework Agreement reached in August this year.

Iraq: Uranium Procurement

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they agree with the comprehensive report of the special adviser to the Director of Central Intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that there was no evidence that Iraq had attempted to import uranium since 1982; and, if not, for what reasons.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) report concludes that there is no evidence to suggest that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa in the 1990s. The Government continue to believe that credible evidence exists to support the assertion made in the September 2002 dossier. Lord Butler of Brockwell's review upheld that belief. The Government have accepted in full the findings of Lord Butler's review. The UK was not in a position to share all the intelligence on this issue with the ISG.

Democratic Republic of Congo: MONUC

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are satisfied that the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) has sufficient resources to carry out the tasks given to it in the revised mandate of Security Council Resolution 1565 of 1 October.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Security Council Resolution 1565 of 1 October authorised the deployment of a further 5,900 military personnel with the necessary specialist force enablers. We expect this enhancement of the mission to improve its effectiveness and to enable it to carry out the given tasks.
	An assessment mission from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations has recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo where it undertook further detailed planning for the troop increases and looked in detail at the restructuring and reorganisation of the mission to improve its effectiveness.

Democratic Republic of Congo: MONUC

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) took to—(a) prevent the armed attack on Kilwa, Ituri province, by forces under the command of Alain Ilunga Mukalyi; (b) to stop the torture and killings of civilians in Kaliko by the People's Armed Forces of Congo under Jérome Kakwavu; and (c) to apprehend the alleged 8,500 Interahamwe génocidaires still sheltering in South Kivu.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: MONUC does not have a military presence in Kilwa which is situated in Katanga. There was no specific information or warning of the attack prior to it taking place.
	MONUC has a brigade employed in Ituri but in such a large area there is difficulty in identifying or apprehending the militia forces as most come from the local community. MONUC was not made aware of any attacks until after they had been perpetrated.
	MONUC has already repatriated over 11,000 foreign combatants. UN Resolution 1565 authorised MONUC to undertake voluntary repatriation and to continue to work with the forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo to locate the remaining ex-FAR/Interhamwe and encourage them to enter the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration programme.

Democratic Republic of Congo: MONUC

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are satisfied that the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the contributing states (including the United Kingdom) between them have sufficiently robust and effective procedures in place to ensure that crimes by their own personnel are brought to court.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There have been no allegations against UK personnel serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I can assure the noble Lord that any such allegations would be thoroughly investigated and the appropriate action taken.
	There is a system in place within the United Nations Mission in the DRC to investigate offences by its personnel. In addition, the UK supports the Security Council's call in its Resoution 1565 for troop contributing countries to take appropriate disciplinary and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of misconduct involving their personnel.

Russia: Social Inclusion and Social Services

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have discussed policies of social inclusion and appropriate social services in Russia with the Russian Government; and, if not, whether they will seek the opportunities for such dialogue.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We regularly engage with the Russian authorities on social inclusion. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Bill Rammell, discussed various aspects of social inclusion with the Russian Human Rights Ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, during his visit to Moscow in April this year. This subject was also covered during the official level bilateral UK-Russia human rights talks held at the FCO in September. It is due to be discussed again during Mr Lukin's scheduled visit to the UK later this month.
	Outside these discussions, the Department for International Development is actively engaged with federal and regional authorities in Russia on a range of programmes and activities designed to support planned reforms in the areas of social inclusion and social services. Similarly, the FCO is spending around £900,000 this financial year on projects in Russia which are aimed at encouraging social inclusion coupled with the protection of individual rights.

Afghanistan: Opium Trade

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the estimated value of the opium economy in Afghanistan in 2003; what initiatives the Government have taken to help reduce the cultivation, processing and trade in drugs during 2004; and what reduction in the 2003 figure they expect will be achieved in 2004 and 2005 respectively

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2003 Opium Survey assesses the income of Afghan opium farmers and traffickers in 2003 to be some 2.3 billion dollars, equivalent to 50 per cent of Afghanistan's estimated legitimate GDP.
	The UK has committed more than £70 million over three years for counternarcotics activity, plus significant development funding and support to develop alternative livelihoods for farmers dependent on opium cultivation. The UK is helping the Afghan Government to build up the institutions which are fundamental to long-term success. In the first year of implementation of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, the basic counternarcotics structures have been put in place: drug control legislation, a Counter Narcotics Directorate, the Ministry of Interior's Afghan Special Narcotics Force, the Counter Narcotics Police and a central eradication capability. UNODC will publish its annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan later this month. The figures are not yet available.
	We are working closely with the Afghan Government and the international community to secure a reduction in cultivation over the next year.

EU: Prime Minister's Speech toLabour Party Conference

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	To which countries and which historical period the Prime Minister was referring when he spoke of the 25 countries of the European Union as "Europe reunited after centuries of conflict" during his speech to the annual conference of the Labour Party in 2004.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister's speech referred to the many conflicts that have divided Europe's nations throughout previous decades and centuries. For example, in the 20th century alone, two world wars, which saw many of the 25 member states pitted against each other, were followed by the divisions of the Cold War, which were brought to a final conclusion with the accession of the EU of eight former eastern bloc countries in May.

Israel: Palestinian Detainees

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recent discussions have taken place with the Government of Israel about Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, camps and detention centres; what representations they have made about the numbers of detainees and their treatment, and whether Israel has future release dates to notify to the United Nations and the international community.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: On 4 September officials in Tel Aviv raised with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) a number of our concerns about the demands that inspired the Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike, which ran from 15 August to 2 September. These included: that Israel should meet its obligations towards prisoners; that prisoners, including during the hunger strike, should be treated with dignity; and that juvenile and adult prisoners should be separated, as provided for in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN and international community regularly request information on detainess, including about release dates. We are not aware that Israel has given any such dates recently, but Israel does release detainees on a regular basis.
	We continue to monitor the situation with regard to Israeli treatment of Palestinian prisoners and raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities where it is appropriate to do so.

Guantanamo Bay: Detainees

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to discuss with their partners in the European Union the issues arising from the continued detention of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay by United States authorities.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Our primary concern is the British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. We have therefore focused our attention on resolving their position and safeguarding their welfare. We believe that we have achieved this best through bilateral contact with the US Government. Our hope, however, is that the issues we have raised are reflected in the treatment of other states' nationals held at Guantanamo Bay.

Minors with Indian Nationality

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 27 October (WA 126), whether they will explain why an Indian minor who acquires British nationality by registration, not involuntarily by birth, does not lose Indian nationality.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Indian citizens who voluntarily acquire another citizenship lose their Indian citizenship. However, minors are incapable of voluntarily acquiring another citizenship.
	Making an application for registration is indeed a voluntary act. In the case of minors, however, the application is made by the parents acting on the child's behalf. It is not made by the child. Children who are registered as British nationals have not, therefore, voluntarily acquired another citizenship.
	It is our understanding that Indian dual nationals would lose their Indian citizenship only if, on reaching the age of majority, they failed to renounce any other nationality then held.

UK Sport

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the outcome of the review of the first nine months of the term of the interim chair of UK Sport; and whether they will place a copy of the review in the Library of the House.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The review point for the post of interim chair fell in May 2004. At the April meeting of the Sports Cabinet, the five Ministers responsible for sport in the UK approved the reform programme for UK Sport presented by the interim chair and asked her to take this work forward and report back to the next Meeting of the Sports Cabinet. In the circumstances, therefore, there was no formal review in May.

Sterling: Value Against Euro

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 25 October (HL Deb, col. 772) whether, given that sterling has fallen in value against the euro since 2001, they will justify the statement that the United Kingdom has a "serious deterioration in our trade deficit with the European Union. It is matched by an increase in real effective growth in sterling against a basket of currencies".

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: While it is true that the value of sterling has fallen against the euro and against a basket of currencies since 2001 in nominal terms, the quoted statement refers to real effective growth in sterling against a basket of currencies. In real terms—that is, adjusted for relative inflation rates—sterling has appreciated in value since 2001.

Tourism: American Visitors

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many American tourists arrived at English airports in 2003.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In 2003, there were 2.8 million arrivals by tourists from the United States of America to English airports.

Personal Saving

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to encourage savings.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government provide tax support of £2 billion per year to encourage savings through individual savings accounts (ISAs) and other forms of personal saving. In addition, annual tax relief of more than £11 billion is delivered to individuals and employers for retirement saving.
	As well as ISAs, the Government are introducing the child trust fund, which will strengthen financial education, promote positive attitudes to saving and ensure assets for all children, regardless of family background. The Government are piloting the saving gateway, where the Government match the savings of low-income families up to a limit. Initial indicators for the interim evaluation are positive.
	Further, the Government are empowering individuals with financial information, improved access to advice, and savings products that are simple and easy to understand such as the Sandler suite of stakeholder products. This action on incentives, advice and support is underpinned by creating a stable economy, and increasing employment by making work pay.

General Optical Council: Reform

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to lay regulations to reform the General Optical Council.

Lord Warner: As part of our programme of work with the General Optical Council to strengthen the regulation of opticians, we intend to lay an order before Parliament early in the New Year. Subject to parliamentary approval, we expect the legislation to be enacted by the end of March 2005.

Fisheries Action Plans

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Fisheries Actions Plans together with the Environment Agency have had any benefits on the general development of fisheries, including bird predation; and what effect they have had on the reduction of cormorants on inland fisheries.

Lord Whitty: Fisheries Action Plans (FAPs) provide a new process for fisheries development across England and Wales. These will incorporate Salmon Action Plans (SAPs) and other species-specific plans that may be needed in the future. Their objective is to maximise sustainable development of fisheries and associated ecological, social, economic and recreational benefits. Developed in partnership between the Environment Agency and local angling and fisheries interests, with input from conservation bodies, FAPs will result in realistic deliverable plans for local fisheries. FAPs provide the mechanism by which issues affecting fisheries, including bird predation, can be reviewed and prioritised.
	Currently there are seven FAPs implemented, or in the process of implementation. A further 12 are in development. There are many actions arising as a consequence of these plans such as the reconnection of Shopham Loop on the Western Rother, the launch of The Broads angling magazine and the installation of fish refuges (to provide protection from cormorants) on the River Lee.
	Of the seven FAPs completed to date, five identify cormorants as an issue, with three ranking this as a high priority issue and two as a medium priority issue. In the remaining 12 FAPs still under development, cormorants are considered likely to be an issue in at least six cases and a high priority issue in at least three.
	FAPs have been successful at improving stakeholder involvement and consultation in resolving issues and contributing towards fisheries development at the local level. These plans may include managing predation of fisheries by cormorants through the licensing mechanism. However, it is too early to ascertain whether these licences have had any benefits on reducing the damage to fisheries by cormorants.

Scottish Parliament Building

Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Evans of Temple Guiting on 26 October (WA 121), whether the Scottish assigned budget has been determined under the terms of the Barnett formula without any additional funds to meet the costs of the Scottish parliamentary building; and, if additional funds were included, what they are.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: There has been no variation to the normal method of calculating the Scottish assigned budget to take into account the cost of the Scottish Parliament building. No additional funds have been provided.